In truth, the question was somewhat redundant; judging by the way the man had bellowed, anyone could discern his profession. What puzzled Ye Wen, however, was the presence of European powers here, besides the local islanders.

"Just how many factions are stationed here?"

Now he understood why She Yue had sent him over; it turned out these people were numerous and complex, making them troublesome to deal with—precisely why Ye Wen was needed to help resolve the situation.

Glancing casually, although the Holy Knight before him roared and charged toward Ye Wen, the man’s strength was not formidable. Ye Wen even felt that this person’s Holy Light power was less concentrated than that of the Italian man he was acquainted with.

He raised a finger and tapped lightly!

A flash of purple radiance, like a shooting star streaking across the horizon, vanished instantly. Everyone felt a flicker before their eyes, unable to clearly discern what had actually happened. The Holy Knight abruptly collapsed to the ground with a thud, and the slowly spreading crimson stain informed everyone that the man was dead.

Bai Suzhen, watching from the side, had a clear view. She had initially thought her adoptive father had only sent these two to exhaust or scout the strength of this group before intervening personally. She never expected this 'blind man,' who kept his eyes closed, to be so formidable.

After so effortlessly eliminating those Japanese fighters earlier, he had now used some unknown technique with another raised hand to dispatch this Westerner.

"What did you just do?"

Bai Suzhen tilted her head, her expression of curiosity almost enough to enchant any male creature, though this allure had limited effect on Ye Wen.

"Nothing much, just a sword qi strike!"

Hearing this, Bai Suzhen pressed on with renewed curiosity, "So you cultivate the sword? Are you from the Emei Sect? Or perhaps the Qingcheng Sect?"

Having cultivated for hundreds of years, she had some understanding of the current major sects, though she had never truly interacted with them. Moreover, her adoptive father held a low opinion of these sects—which was understandable. After all, She Yue served under the Dragon King and had encountered many famous deities and Buddhas; how could he possibly hold a group of ordinary cultivators in high regard?

Coupled with his own immense cultivation amassed over millennia, if he hadn't been focused solely on cultivating within the Immortal Palace to transform into his dragon form, his fame would likely have spread far and wide long ago.

Ye Wen shook his head, "I am neither from the Qingcheng Sect nor the Emei Sect!"

"Then which sect are you from?"

"The Shushan Sect!"

Bai Suzhen shook her head, "Never heard of it!"

Seeing her response, Ye Wen saw no need to explain. The doubts in his mind grew larger because, up to this point, he and Xu Xian had only stumbled upon scattered individuals. While the area was vast, there shouldn't be so few people stationed here, right? Hadn't they been told the place was occupied by outsiders?

After walking for a while, they suddenly spotted a woman standing ahead. She was clad in a strikingly seductive red outfit; a pair of pure white, straight legs were almost entirely exposed to the air, and the neckline was cut very low, revealing an expanse of milky-white skin that was impossible to ignore, especially the bottomless ravine that almost held one's gaze captive.

This attire made Xu Xian beside him pause and murmur, "Why does she look so familiar?"

Ye Wen simply replied, "King of Fighters..."

"Oh, I remember now!" Xu Xian nodded in sudden realization, then glanced across at the woman before telling Ye Wen, "Senior Brother, I think she's waving at you!"

Ye Wen could naturally see that, and he had already recognized the woman approaching as the Japanese woman from the hotel who had tried to recruit the Shushan Sect earlier.

At that time, the Shushan Sect was in an extremely weak state, having attracted significant trouble due to the Nine Cauldrons, making them appear cornered in the eyes of anyone observing. Yet, unexpectedly, years later, Ye Wen had not only resolved all crises, making the name of Shushan known among cultivators, but had even wiped out the Emei Sect in one fell swoop—though this latter event had not been publicly announced.

This transformation was so massive that some individuals who had previously believed they could easily annex the Shushan Sect for their own nation were caught off guard and too slow to react.

"It's been a long time, Sect Master Ye!" Mai Shiranui slowly approached Ye Wen, holding her fan closed in her hand, showing no immediate sign of attack.

Ye Wen did not look at her; since he was pretending to be blind with his eyes closed, there was no need to divert his gaze like a normal person. "I didn't expect you to be here either... Does that mean most of the people inside are yours?"

Mai Shiranui merely let out a light laugh and offered an answer that surprised Ye Wen: "No! There are actually many people here. If Sect Master Ye is interested, you can come with me, and then you can know everything you wish to know!"

Hearing the woman’s words, Ye Wen's brow involuntarily furrowed, as her statement triggered an unpleasant association in his mind.

"Know everything I wish to know? Does that sentence usually get followed by something like, 'And then you can rest in peace and die!'?"

Although he sensed no killing intent emanating from the woman, as a ninja, concealing killing intent should be compulsory, right? Therefore, no matter how polite she appeared, Ye Wen dared not let his guard down—these people had besieged him before.

However, for the moment, it was best to let her lead the way. He felt that if the three of them wandered around blindly, it might take half a day before they found the leader. It was better to play along and follow her; even if an ambush awaited, he believed his various skills could see him through—perhaps even wipe out the entire opposing force in one go.

With that thought, Ye Wen considered deploying the Myriad Sword Art, even if it meant sustaining more internal injuries. As long as he was given time, he could use his Innate Violet Qi to heal those injuries. As for his safety after using the Myriad Sword Art, he trusted his Junior Brother would not disappoint him.

He gestured for Mai Shiranui to lead the way. As the woman moved ahead, Ye Wen casually patted Xu Xian's shoulder as he walked forward and said, "Let's follow along and see what's what!"

This gesture and statement seemed unremarkable, but Xu Xian instantly grasped Ye Wen's meaning, nodded slightly at Ye Wen, and replied, "It's good to see what tricks these people are playing!"

Hearing this, Ye Wen knew his Junior Brother understood; moreover, he hadn't let anyone else notice the deeper significance of their exchange. Even Bai Suzhen felt the two sentences were ordinary. Only the two martial brothers knew clearly that Ye Wen had suddenly said this to warn his Junior Brother that a fierce battle might erupt soon, requiring them to use their ultimate moves.

When Ye Wen spoke up, Xu Xian immediately understood his Senior Brother was speaking obliquely; normally, such a minor matter would not warrant a word from his Senior Brother, who would simply follow along.

Thus, throughout the journey, they secretly mobilized their internal energy. Ye Wen further expanded his divine sense and discovered that it was restricted to a very small radius. This situation confirmed his suspicion—these people were up to something.

After walking for over half an hour, winding through the vast expanse of the Immortal Palace, passing countless halls, they finally arrived at a wide plaza. As soon as Ye Wen and his companions reached this spot, they saw many people gathered before a large palace. A few of them noticed the arrival of the trio and stepped forward.

To Ye Wen's astonishment, the person leading the group was none other than the Kunlun Sect's Hermit Beihe!

"How can Beihe be here? Wasn't he supposed to be dead?"

Ye Wen felt his mind struggling to process this. Zhang Sanfeng had explicitly told him that Hermit Beihe was dead, yet here he stood before him, perfectly sound, and his aura—it was countless times stronger than before!

"Could Hermit Beihe have encountered some great fortune?"

As he pondered this, Hermit Beihe approached him, greeting Ye Wen with an air of great pleasure, "Sect Master Ye, I never expected to meet you here!"

Ye Wen nodded in return, "Ye also never expected to see the Hermit again!"

Beihe paused, then immediately understood that Ye Wen’s response was a veiled inquiry as to why he was present when he was supposed to be dead. Since Ye Wen was already here, Beihe felt there was no need to conceal certain matters any longer and spoke, "It was not difficult. Just a small trick to make people mistakenly believe I had perished!"

Ye Wen pondered, then asked, "Weren't you afflicted by the Qingcheng Sect's Seven Arrows Book of the Nail Head?"

This question served two purposes: first, to test whether the Seven Arrows Book of the Nail Head was truly in the hands of the Qingcheng Sect, as Beihe could clearly overcome it and survive while deceiving so many people, meaning he must know who had plotted against him. Second, Ye Wen wanted to know how Hermit Beihe broke the curse, as he himself was currently suffering from the same magical attack.

Hermit Beihe scrutinized Ye Wen from head to toe, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter, "Sect Master Ye has also been schemed against by that scoundrel?" He then cast a disdainful glance toward the distance, as if looking towards the Qingcheng Sect, "The Qingcheng Sect is nothing but a few jumping clowns. This hermit currently disdains getting entangled with them. Once the great matter is settled, then I shall... Hmph!"

He didn't finish the sentence, but Ye Wen guessed what he implied. He was more concerned with what this "great matter" entailed.

"The great matter?"

Hermit Beihe turned back, fixing Ye Wen with a cold stare. His eyes seemed devoid of any emotion, like two blocks of ice radiating chilling killing intent. A colossal pressure and fierce murderous aura would typically cause anyone with lower cultivation to tremble uncontrollably under that single glare. However, these things were merely a light breeze to Ye Wen; they failed to elicit even the slightest reaction. He stood calmly, allowing Hermit Beihe to observe him.

"Sect Master Ye's cultivation has advanced significantly!"

The surprise in this statement was genuine. Hermit Beihe was indeed astonished by Ye Wen's progress. He remembered meeting Ye Wen before, when his cultivation was decent—and at that time, Beihe had deliberately concealed his own strength, thinking Ye Wen, while powerful, was not worth his serious attention. But now, he sensed Ye Wen’s cultivation had rocketed to a very high level. Hermit Beihe no longer dared to casually claim he could defeat the Shushan Sect Master.

Ye Wen, however, did not take this as praise; instead, he felt a surge of suffocation. "This Beihe hid so much strength back then; he concealed himself deeply!" Aloud, he replied casually, "Just a slight improvement, nothing significant, nowhere near the Hermit's level!"

Hermit Beihe laughed dismissively, "The matter is of grave importance; I did not intend to hide it. I hope Sect Master Ye does not take offense, but currently..."

After some thought, Hermit Beihe continued, "Since Sect Master Ye has discovered this South Sea Immortal Palace, you must already know something about this immortal realm, correct?"

Ye Wen remained silent, waiting to see what Beihe intended to reveal.

As expected, Hermit Beihe then stated, "The Nine Cauldrons in Sect Master Ye's possession, according to many ancient texts of my sect, possess limitless miraculous uses. One of these functions is the ability to connect with various immortal realms across the lands of Jiuzhou. If I haven't guessed wrong, Sect Master Ye has not only discovered the South Sea Immortal Palace but also the Changbai Immortal Realm and the Luofu Immortal Realm, among others!"

Ye Wen nodded. Since the other party was informed, there was no need for further concealment.

Hermit Beihe was somewhat surprised by Ye Wen’s straightforward admission; he had expected the Shushan Sect Master to vehemently deny it! But this frankness made things better. Beihe continued, "Therefore, the elders of my sect once proposed merging these smaller worlds into one, and then having everyone move into it..."

"Just like when numerous immortals ascended to the Immortal Realm, forming a realm of their own?"

Ye Wen spoke the rest of the thought, surprised that an idea he had conceived during idle moments had already been proposed by cultivation predecessors. It seemed the titles of these venerable masters were not merely for show; they were figures not to be underestimated.

Hermit Beihe was first stunned, then said, "It seems Sect Master Ye shares a similar idea. In that case, things are even better!"

Ye Wen paused, pointing at Mai Shiranui beside him, "What is the meaning of this?"

Hermit Beihe blinked, realizing Ye Wen was confused about why there were so many outsiders involved in matters of the cultivation world. He smiled and explained, "This matter was initially being managed solely by my Kunlun Sect, but achieving this goal proved too difficult, so..."

"So you contacted other factions?"

Ye Wen was even more perplexed as to why these people were willing to assist the Kunlun Sect. What deal had been struck between the two parties? He was also curious about Beihe’s standing within the Kunlun Sect. From his demeanor, his status seemed high, which completely contradicted the information Ye Wen previously possessed. It seemed Hermit Beihe had deliberately maintained a low profile back then, making everyone believe his ties to Kunlun were weak.

Hermit Beihe did not answer immediately, perhaps contemplating how to address these inquiries.

After a long pause, Hermit Beihe finally said, "Actually, if Sect Master Ye is interested, the Shushan Sect can also join us. Then our two sects can join forces, eliminate those jumping clowns first to awe the other sects, and subsequently retreat together into the realm we have created, completely severing ties with the mundane world. Wouldn't that be excellent?"

Ye Wen was taken aback by the invitation coming from Hermit Beihe at this juncture. "Judging by your tone, Hermit, it seems you can speak for the Kunlun Sect?"

Beihe paused, then laughed heartily a few times, "I have been remiss. Let me reintroduce myself!"

He composed his expression and introduced himself solemnly, "I am Long Xiang, styled as Hermit Beihe, the current Sect Master of the Kunlun Sect!"

Ye Wen was startled; only now did he realize Hermit Beihe's true identity was the Kunlun Sect Master. No wonder he spoke as if he could make decisions casually—it turned out that was why.

Hermit Beihe continued, "However, contemporary cultivators only know the Kunlun Sect Master as Long Xiang; they do not know my style name, Hermit Beihe, nor have they seen my true face. The person presiding over the sect these past few hundred years was merely a decoy to mislead others!"

This meant he had been operating externally as Hermit Beihe to better observe the situation and make decisions favorable to the Kunlun Sect. It was no surprise that Hermit Beihe could easily handle the Seven Arrows Book of the Nail Head; the Kunlun Sect had a long heritage with numerous secret techniques; a mere incomplete version of the curse posed no challenge to them.

Ye Wen thought to himself, He's been playing the pig to eat the tiger! Yet, he truly admired the sheer composure of the Kunlun Sect Master, capable of wandering everywhere and having to speak respectfully to many peers or even those inferior to him. Without immense forbearance, his identity would surely have been exposed long ago.

Hermit Beihe then asked, "Has Sect Master Ye considered my offer?"

"What offer?"

Hermit Beihe smiled, unconcerned by Ye Wen's feigned confusion. "Will you join my Kunlun Sect in achieving that great matter?" Then, perhaps feeling his temptation was insufficient, he added, "If everything goes smoothly, we might even achieve instantaneous ascension, flying in broad daylight!"

"What does that mean?"

Ye Wen did not understand the connection between building a segregated cultivation realm and ascending in broad daylight.

Hermit Beihe turned his head, revealing a bizarre, eerie smile, and said, "Although there is considerable danger, if successful, ascension in broad daylight will not be a mere dream. I wonder if Sect Master Ye dares to take the chance?"

Hearing this, Ye Wen immediately understood that the Kunlun Sect Master had malicious intent; he intended to use Ye Wen as a pawn. He already held a poor opinion of such sneaky characters, and even upon learning his true identity, he felt no flicker of interest, responding coldly, "Not interested."

Hermit Beihe was momentarily stunned, never having expected that a cultivator could resist the temptation of ascending in broad daylight. Although cultivators cherished their lives, this was conditional. If a true chance for ascension arose, these people would manifest a reckless spirit, charging forward blindly. Yet, this Ye Wen seemed entirely unmoved by such promises.